This model studied the effects of dark chocolate on preventing “cardiovascular events”, which includes heart attacks and strokes in a population of obese people with “metabolic syndrome”.”Metabolic syndrome” is used to describe a collection of features that are thought put people at risk for conditions like heart disease, but the study looked specifically at people without known heart disease or high blood pressure.

The idea is that dark chocolate contains a lot of flavinoids, which are thought to have a range of beneficial effects, including lowering blood pressure.

The study looks at a daily dose of 100g of dark chocolate, which has also been used in other studies. 100g is one of those Ritter Sport bars. The “halbbitter” (50% cocoa) contains 525 calories per 100g, so you’ll have to “weigh” the risks and benefits here.

The highest levels of chocolate consumption were associated with a 37% reduction in cardiovascular disease (relative risk 0.63 (95% confidence interval 0.44 to 0.90)) and a 29% reduction in stroke compared with the lowest levels.